Nova Scotia’s Sherbrooke Village evacuated after fire at historic site

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Members of the Sherbrooke and Area Volunteer Fire Department spray water at a fire in the steeple of the old schoolhouse at Sherbrooke Village on Wednesday afternoon. (AARON BESWICK / Truro Bureau)

Members of the Sherbrooke and Area Volunteer Fire Department spray water at a fire in the steeple of the old schoolhouse at Sherbrooke Village on Wednesday afternoon. (AARON BESWICK / Truro Bureau)

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At least three volunteer fire departments responded to the fire at the Sherbrook Village provincial site on Wednesday afternoon. (AARON BESWICK / Truro Bureau)

At least three volunteer fire departments responded to the fire at the Sherbrook Village provincial site on Wednesday afternoon. (AARON BESWICK / Truro Bureau)

A fire that threatened a historic schoolhouse at Sherbrooke Village on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore was extinguished Wednesday afternoon by volunteer fire fighters.

According to Lynn Hayne, spokeswoman for the provincially owned park, workers were inspecting the steeple on the old schoolhouse on Wednesday morning.

“They went home for lunch and when they returned, it was on fire,” said Hayne.

Like all the buildings in the historic village, the over century-old schoolhouse has wooden shingles on its roof. Firefighters from the Sherbrooke, Liscomb and Aspen volunteer fire departments put out fires that sprang out on eight spots on the two-storey structure’s roof.

Visitors to the historic village were evacuated and no one was injured in the fire.

“There was damage to the outside of the building and I would imagine with the amount of water sprayed, there will be a fair amount of damage inside the school,” said Hayne.

“It will be a big job to repair.”

It was hot and windy in Sherbrooke on Wednesday and the old schoolhouse is on top of a hill in the middle of the village. Firefighters remained on scene throughout the afternoon dousing hot spots to make sure the fire did not reignite and spread.